The journey of creating the first dedicated platform for robot-assisted (super)microsurgery in reconstructive surgery

T.J.M. van Mulken*, A.M.J. Scharmga, R.M. Schols, R. Cau, Y. Jonis, S.S. Qiu, R.R.W.J. van der Hulst

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Incorporation of new technologies advances surgery in general. One example is robot assistance which can potentially overcome limitations in accessibility, dexterity, and ergonomics, thereby improving outcome of surgical procedures. To date, robot assistance has been used successfully in various fields of surgery. Also, in microsurgery robot assistance could offer great advantages as it requires great precision and meticulous technique. Currently available surgical robotic platforms are primarily designed for endoscopic procedures and lack the specific requirements for true microsurgery. Therefore, plastic surgeons of the Maastricht University Medical Center (Maastricht, the Netherlands) teamed up with engineers from the Eindhoven University of Technology (Eindhoven, the Netherlands) and developed the first dedicated robotic platform for (super)microsurgery, the MicroSure Robot (MSR). Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic study.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalEuropean Journal of Plastic Surgery
Volume43
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2020

Keywords

  • feasibility
  • microsurgery
  • perform
  • reconstructive surgery
  • robot assistance
  • robotics
  • supermicrosurgery
  • surgical robotics
  • FEASIBILITY
  • Reconstructive surgery
  • MICROSURGERY
  • Robotics
  • SURGICAL ROBOTICS
  • Robot assistance
  • PERFORM
  • Microsurgery
  • Supermicrosurgery

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